Troilus and Cressida: The Oxford Shakespeare (Oxford World's Classics) [Paperback]

William Shakespeare (Author), Kenneth Muir (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Oxford World's Classics | Publication Date: August 1, 2008

Given the wealth of formal debate contained in this tragedy, Troilus and Cressida was probably written in 1602 for a performance at one of the Inns of the Court. Shakespeare's treatment of the age-old tale of love and betrayal is based on many sources, from Homer and Ovid to Chaucer and Shakespeare's near contemporary Robert Greene. In the introduction the various problems connected with the play, its performance, and publication, are considered succinctly; its multiple sources are discussed in detail, together with its peculiar stage history and its renewed popularity in recent years.

About the Series: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

Editorial Reviews

Review

`authoritatively tackles one of the most textually troubling plays' Sunday Times

'Stanley Wells' OUP Complete Works of Shakespeare is now eight years old and has spawned a new Oxford Shakespeare which appears now in splendidly affordable volumes in that nonpareil of libraries of good reading The World's Classics.' The Oxford Times

About the Author

Kenneth Muir is Emeritus Professor and Honorary Senior Fellow at the University of Liverpool.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (August 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0199536538
• ISBN-13: 978-0199536535
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #469,601 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in April 1564, and his birth is traditionally celebrated on April 23. The facts of his life, known from surviving documents, are sparse. He was one of eight children born to John Shakespeare, a merchant of some standing in his community. William probably went to the King's New School in Stratford, but he had no university education. In November 1582, at the age of eighteen, he married Anne Hathaway, eight years his senior, who was pregnant with their first child, Susanna. She was born on May 26, 1583. Twins, a boy, Hamnet ( who would die at age eleven), and a girl, Judith, were born in 1585. By 1592 Shakespeare had gone to London working as an actor and already known as a playwright. A rival dramatist, Robert Greene, referred to him as "an upstart crow, beautified with our feathers." Shakespeare became a principal shareholder and playwright of the successful acting troupe, the Lord Chamberlain's Men (later under James I, called the King's Men). In 1599 the Lord Chamberlain's Men built and occupied the Globe Theater in Southwark near the Thames River. Here many of Shakespeare's plays were performed by the most famous actors of his time, including Richard Burbage, Will Kempe, and Robert Armin. In addition to his 37 plays, Shakespeare had a hand in others, including Sir Thomas More and The Two Noble Kinsmen, and he wrote poems, including Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece. His 154 sonnets were published, probably without his authorization, in 1609. In 1611 or 1612 he gave up his lodgings in London and devoted more and more time to retirement in Stratford, though he continued writing such plays as The Tempest and Henry VII until about 1613. He died on April 23 1616, and was buried in Holy Trinity Church, Stratford. No collected edition of his plays was published during his life-time, but in 1623 two members of his acting company, John Heminges and Henry Condell, put together the great collection now called the First Folio.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A respectable edition, July 26, 2009

By 

Christopher H. (Cambridge, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Troilus and Cressida: The Oxford Shakespeare (Oxford World's Classics) (Paperback)

The Oxford World's Classics edition of 'Troilus and Cressida' falls somewhat short when compared to the other Shakespeare offerings in the series. The introduction is less than half the length of those which books in the series usually sport, and the textual notes on each page are quite scanty. The language of the play is not extremely obscure, and its history on the stage is shorter and less illustrious than some of Shakespeare's more popular works, both of which circumstances offer some excuse; despite the slimness of the volume, however, what commentary there is is sound. The play itself, of course, is the main attraction, and it does not disappoint. If you have never read 'Troilus and Cressida', you ought to treat yourself to it: the language is as gorgeous as Shakespeare makes it in this marvellously stark play, in which the characters, in the midst of war, struggle with the pushes and pulls of private and public loyalties, fetishes, and anger.